


Et omnia vanitas

by HataMari



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Other, loosely tied to the conquest route, no other realms, there are no other realms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 01:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14462367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HataMari/pseuds/HataMari
Summary: It was a promising break from the war raging outside but soon the inner destruction will make brothers to enemies and happiness to sin. Normally the Nohrian siblings were close to each other however, they seem to drift further and further apart with each day that passed since their duties, relations and emotions drove a wedge between them. Only tied together by their hopes of the war ending soon, they all have to earn their bright future with the faith of tying them together again and avoiding even more tragedies.





	1. What lies ahead

The heat was rising up in her body and she thought she would burst with ecstasy as he touched her. Oh, how she needed his touch, how she longed for it. Her whole body was aching for his affection, burning like thousand hells combined. And he gave her what she needed. Whenever she saw him, she reminded herself of the moment they shared isolated from the rest of the world. She gave him all his heart and he his in return but nobody shall ever know about their deep bound. It was a rule set between them to protect their lives as their relationship could only exist in dreams where it would bother no one and they were free to live as their heart told them to.

 

“Will you have this woman to your wedded wife to live together in the holy estate of Matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honour and keep her in sickness and in health and keep her as long as you both shall live?” Leo was kneeling on a step, in front of the altar, holding his folded hands in height of his chest and looked up to the priest. A great silence laid upon the hall of the Nohrian cathedral. He could feel the many eyes watching him as he looked over to his bride, who kneeled next to him and he opened his mouth to answer. “I, Leo, Prince of Nohr, take you, Azura, to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us apart. Therefore, I give you my trust.” He smiled a little at Azura and she nodded shortly before the cleric went on. “And so, will you have this man to your wedded husband to live together in the holy estate of Matrimony? Will you obey and serve him, love and honour and keep him, in sickness and in health and keep only unto him as long as you both shall live?” Leo could see the golden shimmer of her eyes as she looked over to him and began to speak her vow. “I, Azura, take Leo, Prince of Nohr, to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and obey him, till death do us apart. Therefor I give you my trust.” He heard how silent she said ‘obey’. Leo knew she was a free spirit but his father insisted on this dust-covered plight. The priest lightly put a hand on each of the two’s head. “And with the help of the divine dragons, I declare you wedded as husband and wife. You may now rise as such.” The applauding of the audience roared through the cathedral like thunder as Leo and Azura stood up. Leo offered Azura his arm which she took with a warm smile. Directly sitting in the first row, he spotted his siblings. Elise stood on her feet and applauded happily with Camila standing next to her and giving the newlywed couple a motherly warm smile. They began to slowly walk down the steps. Xander and Corrin both nodded at him as he and his bride passed the row. It was their way to congratulate their younger brother. The prince glanced at the new princess. Her eyes were shining bright and as golden as the sun itself, he thought. Suddenly the bells began ringing in a steady rhythm. It was the first time hearing the sound of ringing bells since the war has started.  
It is a beautiful sound, Corrin thought to herself. She was sitting in a carriage opposite to Xander. “You did seem to enjoy it, little princess.” “Azura looked really happy” she said looking out of the window, “Leo too.” “They certainly were.” She decided not to answer and concentrated on the landscape passing by. Apparently Xander had the same thing in mind and leaned on his arm, now facing the window. Corrin moved her eyes back at the scenery outside. Dark and empty, with a few patches of long brown grass and seemingly dead trees every now and then. She sighed. Nohr was the kingdom of darkness after all.  
It was a long ride and finally being near Cheve made Corrin thoughtful. At deciding where to celebrate their brother’s marriage, Xander suggested the old summer residence of the Nohrian royal family, a small palais located near Cheve to control the everlasting revolutions and the border to Hoshido. Corrin remembered how her siblings told her how different the region around Cheve was from the rest of Nohr, with its rebellious city and the green grass that would actually grow here caused by the little bit of sun exposure Cheve had compared to Windmire and other Nohrian cities. How beautiful that she was able to see the region now and…  
“That he’s the first one to marry…”  
Corrin’s thinking was forcefully interrupted by Xander’s mumbling. “What pressure must lie upon you” came the quiet, sarcastic whisper. Xander moved his head to face Corrin. She quickly looked at her brother and then back out of the window, his face showing a mix of anger and surprise. “I mean” Corrin spoke up a little, “now that he is the only one who can produce legitimate heirs…” She couldn’t save herself anymore. Xander leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, looking her straight in the eyes. “Don’t you think I know the duties one must fulfil as a crown prince?” His voice sounded angry but his face spoke of a certain sadness. This was one of the few moments when Xander wasn’t the unreachable heir to Nohr’s throne but her big brother with problems and feelings. His face changed again to a more pleasant expression. “Let’s not talk about it, little princess. We are arriving soon.” He gave her a faint smile but Corrin knew exactly it was to hide his pain. She actually admired that side of him. She felt like it made him more human in these times, where cruelty replaced traits and emotions that differed humans from animals.  
The carriage came to a sudden halt and the princess heard her brother shortly taking a breath before speaking to his sister. “We’ve finally arrived” said Xander content. He was unreachable again. The door opened and he was the first one to step out and waited for Corrin to get out. The princess stood up and the crown prince offered her his hand, which she gladly took, and she gently put her foot down on the ground.  
“Congratulations, my brother.” His elder brother shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure that you made it” smiled Leo. On the inside however, his brother could jump down his throat. Xander has been absent for the last two months because their father ordered him to go to Cheve. His order was caused by rumors, told by the people living outside the castle, which tell about an uprising group lifting spirits to go against the king. Would it just have been for that cause it would have been perfectly fine. But somehow the crown prince seemed to have disappeared every so often from the small palais, people started rumouring about some inadequate activities he might have participated in or even meeting the future queen of Nohr. Leo didn’t want to think about any of these assumptions. For once he stepped out of his brother’s shadow as he announced his marriage. He, the younger brother was the first one to marry, giving Nohr a future, a legitimate dynasty, a beautiful woman to adore! Yet his elder brother still managed to get all the attention through those rumours. As these reached the royal court in Windmire everybody seemed to have forgotten about his wedding going as far that the servants forgot to send the invitations to the many guests Leo intended to invite. Now, only his closest relatives appeared, the one man who to blame for this mess included. “Are you alright dear?” Azura lightly put her hand to his arm as Leo snapped out of his state of thinking. Leo nodded. “Everything is alright.” Upon his answer his wife smiled comforting at him, as if she knew what was going on in his head. He didn’t want to worry her so he let his dark thoughts escape his mind, at least for now.  
The celebration stretched well into the night so the servants lit up paper lanterns, remembering the bride’s former foster country. Corrin watched the slowly emerging spectacle of small lights from the distance as she sat there in the grass, being glad they decided to celebrate outside, in the mild heat of a Nohrian summer. “Milady.” Jakob suddenly stood next to her, making her heart skip a beat out of being scared. “Please just…let the formalities be at least for this evening and sit down next to me” she said, tilting her head a little so she could see her servant and placing her hand in an inviting gesture on the floor. Jakob followed her invitation, sitting in the exact same place the princess gestured to. Corrin smiled gently at him. “It’s such a beautiful night, isn’t it?” “If I might say so Lady Corrin, it is indeed.” She leaned a little bit more forward to better talk with him. “Look how carefree everyone is.” Her gaze wandered towards Azura who showed off a tiny range of her vocal talent by humming a few tunes in front of a small audience. Corrin thought of how stressed she was joining the army and fighting against her old home country. “They all enjoy their break from that war, milady, me included” said Jakob, finally relaxing for the day. They sat there in silence accompanied by the laughter and singing of the others. The Nohrian princess couldn’t care less at that moment, her eyes set on her acquaintance, mustering him from head to toe and stopping at his hands. These hands did so many things for her like- “Have you seen lady Elise?” Flora walked up on them causing Jakob to jolt on his feet again. “Frankly not Flora.” “Maybe we can help search for her?” “I’d be grateful for that, milady” said Flora, giving her a look of mild content.  
“Elise?” Corrin walked around the palais further away from the wedding party until the laughter was just echoes in the distance. It was then that she could hear a familiar chuckle coming from just behind the corner, followed by another known to her voice. Corrin now slowed down and silently took a look around the corner. There she sat, her little sister talking vividly with her companion about how well she was doing in magic. The light blonde decided not to interrupt their conversation. So, she let them be and turned around to walk back to the others.  
As she slowly made back her way to the celebration, a well know figure approached her. “Azura” Corrin called out. Azura had a pleasant smile on her lips as she nodded to greet her friend. “Such a nice day to get wed” she said, looking up into the clear and dark sky which was covered in small and brightly shining orbs. “It surely is.” They both held their heads high to observe until Corrin noticed something “shouldn’t you be at your own wedding party?” Azura’s eyes darkened and she looked to the ground. “Xander went to bed earlier and as the servants went to look if everything is alright he was missing. It was such a hurly-burly that I decided to look for you.” “You seem to have found me” Corrin chuckled. The blue haired woman now looked back up at her conversation partner and cracked a smile. “It’s good that you didn’t interrupt them.” “Who” Corrin looked puzzled, “Elise and her admirer? She would have hated me for eternity if I interrupted them. Or at least until she forgets about it.” They both started to laugh a little and stopped after a short time to catch breath. “So, where’s Leo? Haven’t talked to him in a while and after all it’s your wedding day.” Corrin looked at the bride for the day. Azura sighed before stating: “after he found out about Xander being gone he was angry and decided to search him. It was actually when I went off to look for you.” The Nohrian princess gently laid a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. “I’m sorry Azura.” “It’s fine, I actually couldn’t bear it anymore being with so many people and needed a break.” Corrin looked at Azura, know looking up in the sky. “You know, the bad things might have happened in the past and present, yet we should look ahead for a bright future.” And Corrin could swear Azura’s eyes were suddenly shining as bright as the stars above them.


	2. And happened way back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin learned about something that may put everything in the ground she fought for

_It’s not possible. It just can’t be._

Corrin held her head in her hands thinking the sentence over and over again. _This just can’t be. Not now, not now._ Like a chanting rang these words through her head, over and over again, each time giving her a more desperate feeling. Suddenly it all went blank. “Milady, are you alright?” Felicia has entered the room slowly and quietly just that Corrin only noticed her presence when she spoke to her. “It’s...nothing, don’t worry. Good night Felicia.” “Good night, milady.” Felicia went as quick as she came and Corrin was left alone for the rest of the night. “Why” she cried out and fell onto her bed, letting out all the sobs and tears she held back for so long. This was the end of all her efforts.

Corrin let out a heavy breath. Being tired from crying she decided to take a walk down the long darkness and silence of the corridors and now stopped at a certain door, which she slowly opened. “Camilla, are you there?” She hoped for the best as her sister loved to stroll around in the night. Corrin listened to the darkness for a few seconds before hearing sheets rustling and a soft sound of bare feet hitting wooden floor approaching her until she could see her sister’s outlines. Camilla’s face lit up as she saw her little sister although still being merely awake. “Oh dear, what’s the matter? Is something troubling my little sister?” Corrin nodded slightly. “How can I help you?” “May I sleep in your bed tonight?” She was a little embarrassed as she was nearly twenty-five. The last time she asked for it when she was just a little child, afraid of the darkness and its sounds. But she needed the comforting affection of her sister now. “Why yes, everything my dear” said Camilla a little surprised by the request and let her sister in, taking one last glance into the dark hallway. Upon making sure not a soul was present, Camilla finally closed the door and laid down next to the other princess. Before the elder sister could even say a thing, the younger one inhaled sharply. “I have to tell you something.”

With a quick and stealthy pace made the man his way down the corridor. He wasn’t entirely familiar with this section of Krakenburg castle but he’ll surely find his target. After a few more moments of walking through the darkness he stopped. Slowly he opened the simple wooden door of the servants’ entrance leading to one of the larger bedrooms that belonged to one of Nohr’s royals. Hurried and hesitant not to make a sound he pushed himself out of the entrance towards the bed hoping to find what he was looking for.

“Are you absolutely sure?” Camilla’s voice was full of concern, finally answering after, what felt for Corrin, a silent eternity. “I was at the doctor’s office today, incognito of course, and he confirmed it.” Now that she told her sister what saddened her she couldn’t bear to look her in the eyes anymore. “Are you going to tell the others about it?” The younger princess slightly nodded and whispered a ‘yes’. “Oh dear,” whispered Camilla and hugged her “you poor thing.” Corrin was braced for anything except this. Camilla asked no further questions or scolded her, Camilla seemed to understand how much of a toll the news took on her. The elder princess slowly stroked her sister’s hair, attempting to comfort her in a motherly way. Corrin hadn’t been feeling so protected in a long time. Somehow, after her own mother died in her arms, barely knowing her, her big sister was the closest thing to a mother figure Corrin had ever experienced. She felt how Camilla’s warm embrace and the slow and comforting strokes lulled her to sleep, finally resting her ever racing mind and letting her forget about the day and the terrible news she learned about. She’ll tell them tomorrow, she thought before the upcoming darkness of sleep surrounded and, in the end, swallowed her.

 

There he stood, cracking a smile as he looked down on his prey sleeping soundly and being completely unaware what’s going to happen to him. Slowly, as not to wake the companion his target shared the bed with, he pulled out a book with the one hand and stretched out the other over the sleeping form. As he started mumbling the tome and his outstretched hand started glowing, revealing his half-masked face and disturbing smile, as he casted a spell. The spell didn’t take long and after mere moments he was finished. He silently tucked away the volume and quietly left for the door he came through. For the last time the man turned around looking back and hushed: “you might be a great mage, but you’ll never escape feelings and sentiments, yours our not doesn’t matter, they all destroy something at last.” And with a silent laughter he left the room as his job was done. For now.

 

Corrin took a deep breath before opening the door in front of her. Ever since she woke up this morning she felt like the world loaded all it’s weights on her shoulders.

_After waking up she searched for him. Told him to come to her room and talk with her, that it was urgent._

She was now ready, ready to confront her siblings with the burden of her heart.

_He needed to know what was happening, needed to hear what was bothering her mind and soul._

She slowly opened the door and saw all her siblings gathered in the small salon. Leo stood at a table in the room’s corner, studying one of his books, Elise chattering with Camilla on the small sofa standing in the middle of the room, and Xander, who took a cup of tea which was freshly served by Flora.

_She stood in the middle of the room, her back facing him when he silently stepped in. She turned around. He had brought her tea._

“Corrin!” As soon as she stepped into the room Xander noticed her and everybody interrupted their activities; Flora hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. “What is it that you called us here” Xander beamed. “There is something I have to tell you.”

_“There is something I need to tell you.” Her face looked stern as he put down the tray on a nearby desk. “What is it milady?”_

 “What is so urgent that we all had to come here? I still have business to attend to.” “Business” Leo snorted but Xander ignored him. Camilla smiled motherly warm at her. “Just tell us dear.” Corrin nodded as it seemed she gained their attention.

_“Just leave the formalities aside Jakob, I thought we talked about this long enough.” Somehow this made her tense mind relax a bit. “I’m sorry, I just can’t resist” he said and came a little closer. “Is this all you wanted to tell me? Then I’m already educated in that matter, you certainly assured it.” They both cracked a smile but she didn’t hold it for very long. “I’m afraid it won’t be as easy as that.” Corrin inhaled deeply. “Jakob,-_

“I’m pregnant.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on the plot will thicken, as one of my main aspects is now revealed. As always, thank you for reading :)

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first Fic ever written in English. Nonetheless, I thank you for reading until the end of this chapter, the next one will take on the actual plot. Until then :)


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